A THOUSAND WORDS

I thought about writing this particular blog for quite a while. I really wasn't going to include my voice in the world arena. There has been so much written about the Mohammed cartoons; why should I add my opinion to it? The Dannish newspaper seem to have made their point, haven't they?I decided that there's more to talk about. As I listen to the rhetoric being blasted all across the media waves, I can't help but reflect on the other parts of the story.

I am a Christian, as you are well aware. While I watch the coverage of this story, and I watch violence erupt, I think about two things: how Christians are represented in media and government, and what our reaction is to said coverage.

There were several other small protests across Afghanistan on Wednesday, including one in Kabul. Hundreds of university students, including women, marched peacefully through the capital, chanting "Death to the Dannish! Death to Americans!" Foxnews.com

When did it become peaceful to chant about the death of another group of people? Is it peaceful because they weren't carrying guns and shooting up armies and civilians?

In an attempt to be unbiased and fair, the Danish newspapers have now decided to run cartoons about the Holocaust. The cartoons are from the Iranians, drawn in retaliation. I can only assume we are next.

But haven't we been in cartoons already? It can only take a minute for me to find editorial cartoons satirizing God, Jesus, and Christianity in general. We are the source of inspiration for comedians, talk show host and news anchors. Politicians take shots at us, and courts remove any representation of us from the public square that they can.

If were to take extreme offense for every cartoon drawn about our religion, there would be anarchy. So why don't we? According to the media and sources like Newsweek; we are the religion of intolerance, of bigotry, of hatred and of suppression. Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance, right?

The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was quoted in the Turkish press saying: Caricatures of prophet Muhammad are an attack against our spiritual values. There should be a limit of freedom of press. Junkyardblog.net

But here's what happens to Christians on a weekly, if not daily basis somewhere in the world.

The New York City schools policy states that the display of secular holiday symbol decorations is permitted and lists as examples the menorah and the star and crescent. But the policy specifically excludes the display of the Christian Nativity scene.The city argues the menorah and star and crescent are permissible symbols because they are secular, whereas the Nativity scene must be excluded because it is purely religious. Junkyardblog.net

Despite our portrayal, we persist in sharing the Message we have been given. Because we're human, some of us tend to skew the lines by being rather intolerant, I don't deny that. But to my knowledge, in the modern era of humanity, we haven't insisted on a mass uprising against the rest of the world. Instead, we have chosen to act as light in a world that has increasingly become dark. The world of Islam appears to have other motives on their agenda. According to the story that is unfolding below, if your religion isn't making enough ground on its own, try to fan fires of discontent and strife.

A lot of this "spontaneity" was clearly staged. The cartoons gained a wider audience when radical Danish clerics toured the Middle East last month, showing the offending cartoons to the heads of several of the major Islamist groups in the region. Just in case the originals weren't offensive enough, the clerics also supplied a few of their own cartoons, ever more inflammatory, and said they sprang from the pens of the infidels. One of the clerics, Ahmed Abdel Rahman Abu Ladan, explained in an interview that the tour was meant to "internationalize this issue." The clerics told their hosts that Muslims do not have the right to build mosques in Denmark, and repeated other ridiculous lies to foment discord and ridicule the Danish government. powerlineblog.com

TODAY'S POINT

I only can point to the words of Jesus for my point today. We can point fingers back and forth, as we have been doing since the Crusades, and each side will claim superiority and the fast track to heaven. But, I ask you to consider how the followers of Jesus conduct their day to day life, and how we 'peacefully' handle ourselves.

"You're blessed when you can show peoplc how to cooperate instead of compete or fight." Jesus in Matthew 5.9

"You're blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God's kingdom. " Jesus again in Matthew 5.10

"Not only that-count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens-give a cheer even!-for though they don't like it. I do!" Jesus in Matthew 5.11

I want you to also remember one other thing that Jesus said, and it's important.

"I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. NO one gets to the Father apart from me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well."

Think about it. I'll have more on this subject Friday.